If you look as though you’re up to no good…

…even if you are not actually doing anything wrong, people will take you at face value, assume you’re dangerous, and react accordingly. As in the Trayvon Martin shooting, the outcome will be tragic for everyone involved.

*All Rights to American Idol 2010 and Fox*
The infamous Pants on the Ground guy General Larry Platt. Catchy song!
LYRICS:
Pants on the ground
Pants on the ground
Lookin like a fool with your pants on the ground
Gold in your mouth
Hat turned sideways, pants hit the ground
Call yourself a cool cat looking like a fool
Walking down town (2nd time say Talkin’)
With your pants on the ground!

We have all heard the phrase, You can’t judge a book by its cover, meaning that people aren’t always what they seem at first glance. Be that as it may, in real life, we seldom have the luxury of taking the time to get to know everybody who crosses our paths. Self-preservation sometimes means making snap judgments. If I see some dude whose attire and body language are (ahem) worrisome, I don’t know whether he’s a genuine thug or just a poser who just wants to inflate his ego by acting tough. So I have to err on the side of self-preservation and assume he’s a threat.

…I’m not a fan of Jerry Rivers but he’s absolutely right when he blames fashion conscious minority yoots for the fact that decent people profile them. Now thanks to the corrosive effects of pop culture, it’s become fashionable for otherwise law abiding kids to affect the gangsta look.

Commonsense dictates that if you don’t want to be treated with suspicion don’t go out of your way to look menacing. And the entire gangsta fashion fad is designed to intimidate. The hoodies that real criminals wear to obscure their faces, the baggy clothes that real criminals use to hide illegal weapons, the sagging pants and flashing of gang signs; it’s all intended to frighten and alarm the general public. They think it’s a joke, until they get shot…